Good Teeth

One of my childhood regrets is that I didn't take better care of my teeth. I remember being scared of my dentist and often skipping appointments because of it and the many needles I needed to freeze my mouth. There were a number of years I didn't visit the dentist at all.

When I was about 18 and working in a camera shop I suddenly developed pain in the front of my mouth. So much so a co-worker dragged me to her dentist which happened to be in the same mall. It turned out I had an abscessed tooth. They had to open it up to let it drain and I had to go back for a root canal. When they told me the price I started crying again. I didn't have any kind of insurance but because I was with my friend and worked with her they let me set up a payment schedule. Thank goodness for nice people.

One of the things I often worried about was losing my teeth. Like my mean Uncle Keith who would stick his false teeth out at me during family suppers when I was little. Or my other Uncle. Or my Aunt. Bad teeth genes run in my family. Bad habits all around.

Anyway, it took a long time and a whole lot of fillings before it sunk in that brushing your teeth at least twice a day and flossing a minimum of 3 times a week really makes a difference. I still have my teeth and I haven't had a cavity in about six years (they ran out of room). It's become such a habit now if for some reason I can't, it becomes all I can think about.

So my point? Brush your bloody teeth and floss already!